BTU's

[Arrowchaser]

We have been burning firewood for a long time. We do not use any other type of heat source. We usually use about 6-7 cords of firewood a year. Locust seems to probably be the hottest burning wood in this area.

What is the hottest burning wood with the most btu's in Alaska? How many cords of wood do you burn a year?

It seems like everything I want to move with me is heavy. I have a couple wood stoves that I would love to bring along.

[.338WM]

We have been burning firewood for a long time. We do not use any other type of heat source. We usually use about 6-7 cords of firewood a year. Locust seems to probably be the hottest burning wood in this area.

What is the hottest burning wood with the most btu's in Alaska? How many cords of wood do you burn a year?

It seems like everything I want to move with me is heavy. I have a couple wood stoves that I would love to bring along.

Spruce provides the most BTU in Alaska. It is common to mix birch with spruce, if available, for the birch will burn slower/lower/longer.

[NRick]

Spruce provides the most BTU in Alaska. It is common to mix birch with spruce, if available, for the birch will burn slower/lower/longer.

The charts I've looked at, and my own experience, show birch with the most BTU per cord. Spruce is the most easily available (at least in south central AK) though. That said, they are both far lower in BTUs than common firewood in Pennsylvania. Weather is colder and the wood has less energy means more wood to stay warm.

[.338WM]

The charts I've looked at, and my own experience, show birch with the most BTU per cord. Spruce is the most easily available (at least in south central AK) though. That said, they are both far lower in BTUs than common firewood in Pennsylvania. Weather is colder and the wood has less energy means more wood to stay warm.

So much for my memory, I had it reversed. Here is a chart; http://www.alaskawoodheating.com/energy_content.php

Fuel type:	Density:	Lbs per Cord	Energy Content
Birch1	41.0	3,485	23,600,000 Btu/cord
Hemlock1	33.6	2,856	22,000,000 Btu/cord
White Spruce1	30	2,550	18,100,000 Btu/cord
Sitka Spruce1	30	2,550	18,100,000 Btu/cord
Aspen1	28.4	2,414	16,600,000 Btu/cord
Tamarack2	38.2	3,247	16,000,000 Btu/ton
Black Spruce2	29.2	2,482	15,900,000 Btu/cord
Poplar1	25.5	2,168	15,000,000 Btu/cord
Cottonwood2	24.8	2,108	14,500,000 Btu/cord
Wood Pellets			16,000,000 Btu/ton
Lignite Coal3			17,400,000 Btu/ton
Oil3			134,000 Btu/gal
Electricity3			3,413 Btu/kWh
Natural Gas3			1,000 Btu/ft3
Propane3

[hodgeman]

Bottom line.... in Pennsylvania you'd never cut and burn the best stuff in AK. Up here you just have to cut a lot of it!

[iofthetaiga]

What is the hottest burning wood with the most btu's in Alaska?

Birch.

How many cords of wood do you burn a year?

Three.

(+200 gal heating oil).

[Arrowchaser]

I used heating oil years ago. We also had a coal stoker for a while. But we've been burning only wood for a long time now. I got tired of working
on the furnace in the middle of winter or waiting for a delivery truck to show up during a snow storm. I like the security of a wood burning stove. In a emergency I can go outside and find wood. I can't dig up heating oil or even coal. But a oil furnace was nice for when you're away.
I cut and burn birch when it's available. I don't use spruce though. But I do scavenge wood so I am open to burning lower btu wood. I have offered guys sycamore logs and they wouldn't even bother with them. Some guys around here only want oak, maple, locust, etc...

[iofthetaiga]

Birch, spruce, aspen are you only choices here.

[Muskeg_Stomper]

My wife and I heated our 1600 Sq Ft two-story home in the Fairbanks area solely with wood. We burned a pretty even mix of birch and spruce during one extremely cold winter. We burned almost 14 cords of wood that year.

[Bullelkklr]

Kind of surprised that you needed to burn any wood at all. Just cutting and splitting and moving 14 cords around would keep ya warm all winter without heat.